After years of using a hip pack, then tiring of it I searched high and low, read and tried every sling and chest and fanny and whatever pack that I could. For one year I've been using a Patagonia Sling pack. It is a really nice piece of gear, very comfortable, but not what I ideally want.

After all of this...what I ideally want is to go back to the old fishing vest! But not the old-fashioned vest, I did leave it behind so many years ago for reasons. I really don't like all the small, soft pockets all over the old style vest. There are too many and they are dysfunctional. Also, the way they carry and do not distribute the weight of it's contents well at all. Fortunately these issues have been addressed since I last bought a vest (15 years ago?)

What I do want out of a vest, which all the other pack options do not provide, is easy access to multiple fly boxes. Now of course, with the explosion of chest, fanny, hip, sling, etc. packs the vest options are going by the wayside. The best I've found so far is the Simms Vertical style. I like that the boxes are high and well, vertical, rather than in the traditional low and horizontal position. I sure wish Patagonia still made the Riverwalker.

Who else has eschewed the trend of packs and gone back to (or never left) the use of the good 'ole fishin vest?